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The Canadian navy submarine HMCS Windsor is lowered into the water from a dry dock after undergoing a five year refit at CFB Halifax, Nova Scotia, April 11, 2012. The Windsor is one of four former Royal Navy Upholder class submarines that Canada had purchased. REUTERS/Paul Darrow REUTERS/Paul Darrow

The Royal Canadian Navy's fleet of Victoria-class submarines are finally in the water and working, after 20 long years.

Once the butt of jokes, Canadian Navy submarine HMCS Victoria managed to elicit 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from observers when it did two simulated torpedo launches over the weekend. The force of the blowback of air was too strong that The Canadian Press reported it send hats, cameras and notebooks flying all around.

The Royal Canadian Navy purchased the four diesel-electric submarines, pre-owned boats from the United Kingdom for nearly $900-million in 1998. It underwent a number of costly repairs and upgrades, a series of mishaps and breakdowns that included a collision with the ocean floor and a deadly fire, before it ever went operational.

But all these were forgotten when the Navy conducted the simulation in waters near Victoria. "It's quite spectacular," The Canadian Press quoted Cmdr. Alex Kooiman aboard the 70-metre-long, 2,400-tonne submarine. Test shots were simulated via the massive thrust of water fired from its torpedo tubes.

A report by CBC News said HMCS Victoria and HMCS Chicoutimi will be in the waters off Esquimalt, B.C. this week, while HMCS Windsor is in Halifax. The HMCS Corner Brook is likewise in Esquimalt, but is in dry dock as it undergoes a period of "deep maintenance.” HMCS Victoria is the only one capable of firing a torpedo.

Though critics are pleased the four submarines are now up to what its supposed to do, they still believe the 20-year long wait has somehow taken a toll on the subs that the end of their lifespans is just around the corner. Michael Byers, a professor who specializes in Canadian foreign and defence policy at the University of British Columbia, told CTV News he believed the Canadian subs will need to be replaced “within the next decade.”

Kooiman said HMCS Victoria has six torpedo tubes and can carry up to 18 heavyweight torpedoes for use against surface and sub-surface targets. It is ready for any duties, he added. But Byers isn’t that optimistic. "Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world, and we have a navy in advanced stage of rust-out."